This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Natural resources, such as oil and gas, are used as fuel to power vehicles, heat homes, and generate electricity, in addition to myriad other uses. Once a desired resource is discovered below the surface of the earth, drilling and production systems are often employed to access and extract the resource. These systems may be located onshore or offshore depending on the location of a desired resource.
Further, such systems generally include a wellhead assembly through which the resource is extracted. These wellhead assemblies may include a wide variety of components and/or conduits, such as casings, trees, manifolds, and the like, that facilitate drilling and/or extraction operations. For example, casings, such as a production casing, may be utilized to carry the resource from the reservoir to the surface wellhead for production.
In subsea environments, drilling and extraction components may be exposed to relatively low temperatures, for example, in the range of 0-10° C. Resources extracted from beneath the sea floor may be at a much higher temperature, such as, for example, 70° C. The difference in temperatures between the extracted resource and the surrounding seawater may result in rapid heat loss from the extraction component through which the resource is extracted.
For example, a metal casing used to carry oil from the sea floor may experience a temperature gradient of around 60-70° C. Metal may be the most cost-effective material to use in such a corrosive, high-pressure, high-temperature environment, however the metal casing provides little resistance to heat loss. Rapid heat loss through the metal casing may result in the formation of hydrates in the casing. Hydrates are waxy build-ups formed by the combination of water, such as from condensation, and the resource being carried up the casing. Hydrates may plug a pipeline, necessitating a costly and time-consuming unblocking procedure. In addition, extensive hydrate formation may result in the loss of a well, at a great cost.